Dragon Guardian
by Cosmos of the sun
Summary: AU. Elves, demons, and humans fight to become the dominant race. Three heroes, each hunted by their own, have been chosen by fate to end the war. But they say that the dragons, who are the true rulers, are dead. But who are they to say?
1. P, P1: Mercenary

Dragon Guardian

_Cosmos of the Sun_

**Prologue, Part 1:**

_**Mercenary**_

Have to run faster mustn't get caught! That was his only though as he speed through the over grown forest as fast as his legs could carry him. But no matter how fast he ran, or how he weaved though the large tree trunks, the still slowly gained on him. They moved like the lengthening evening shadows through the thick foliage. Trees lush with leaves shivered in the wind that followed him as he ran. The forest was an old one, one that had seen battles that painted its ground red with thick hot blood. The forest still stood after all those battles with trees that had grown to embrace the now empty sky. Thick roots from these trees winded though the path though the forest and in some places they made the ground seem like a living stepladder.

His mind cheered when a hidden gale rose up to meet him as he darted up the now beaten path. As he shot through the last of the trees it seemed like they tried to block his passage with thick torn coated branches but with the gale so close that it was impossible. Darting into the gale he relaxed, this was a sacred place and only those who knew, or heard, of its power could enter. The gale wasn't very large but the Ordon tree that was planted in the middle was. A trunk so thick that no one could ever have their arms rap around it with out fear of dislocating both their shoulders. Huge branches covered the top of the gale like a green glass ceiling blocking out the vision of the clear starry heavens from sight. But the most impressive thing about the tree was its height. It seemed as if the moon rested on one of the lower branches like a giant glowing fruit.

As the light of the moon filtered in through the green leaves above the runner's features were finally visible. Ebony black hair with one pure white bang, which came from his right temple, protruded in a messy mane from his head. His hair went nicely with his blood red eyes giving him the look of a dark creature. Wearing a long dark green tunic belated with an amber colored belt that matched his legging if he sat absolutely still he could blend in to the woods, but the thing that drew the eye was the sword strapped to his back. At the moment all that could be seen of it was a long two handed handle wrapped in black leather with a sliver streak in it. Laying back against the tallest tree that stood in the center of the clearing he let his mind wander. It drifted back and forth across his memories as his fatigue caught up. He settled into a light dose, one that would tell him if others were coming and he slowly relaxed against the base of the tall tree.

_The fire_

_The beautiful fire_

_The fire it whipped through his hair, it embraced him held him close and covered him. It rolled through his veins like liquid, went down into his lungs and gave him more life than any air could. But he must leave it behind leave the warmth that embraced him and held him close, must go to the cold not just cold but back to life was he willing to leave all that he had gained behind? No. As the word rolled through his head he was wrenched from the warmth into the cold. It choked his senses. Froze his blood and held him close squeezing the warmth out of him._

_The cold called for his death._

He jerked awake ignoring the strong urge to reputedly bang his head against the bark of the tree. The same damned dream again! Night after night it stalked his subconscious mind waiting for him to sink deeply into sleep. It wouldn't have been a surprise if he eventually went insane from it. But the dream never finished. That means something woke him up. Now on high alert he scored the woods with his eyes and ears looking for the offending creature or noise. Nothing could be seen which but him on edge because something must have woken him, and if he couldn't identify it immediately then it could actually cause him to have some problems. His hand gripped the sword handle in till his fingers turned an ivory white. There it was again! Slowly ever so slowly he pulled out the sword from the sheath. The double-edged blade glittered like a blood moon and with the engraved runes, which ran up its sides, it seemed to be made to kill impure things.

He stood poised and waiting for his opponent to show himself, when something darted out of the shadows of the trees outside of the clearing and headed strait toward him. He only had time to raise his sword in a blocking move before it struck. With a snarl of rage it backed off for a moment and before he could get a good look at it he was attacked again. He twisted out of the way a brought his sword down in a slash. He was reworded with the sound of breaking bones and the feel of hot sticky blood as it covered his legs as the thing stumbled to a stop next to him. The creature screamed in pain and as its last act it sank its fangs into his leg. With another swing he removed the head from the beast and kicked the body away with his other leg.

He dropped to one knee and quickly pried the fangs out of his leg hoping that it wasn't poisonous. Bronze feathers coated the crown of the head, which tapered off to a muzzle at the end, that was covered with course dark brown fur. He tossed the head with a flick of his wrists after checking to see if its fangs were dripping any liquid other then his own blood. Thankful when he saw that there was no poison he turned to check the body of the creature to see if he could identify it, but it had already turned to ash. Deciding that he could no longer stay in the clearing because the creature had been able to get, which meet that someone had given it instructions, he stood after quickly wrapping his leg. Wiping his sword on the ground and picking up the pack he had left at the base of the Ordon tree and slowly limped his way to the edge of the clearing before disappearing into the forest.


	2. P, P2: Thief

Dragon Guardian

_Cosmos of the Sun_

**Prologue, Part 2:**

**_Thief_**

The Lord of Goland had a city perched on a hill in the outer territories of the land of Isend. It was one of the few places outside of the reach of the Seenano warriors that was still loyal to the human King Rayana. But just because it was loyal to the king didn't mean that it was a kind city, if anything since it was on the outer edge of the kingdom it was a cruel place. The lord of Goland was a harsh man and a harsher lord and all were to obey him and his laws or they were to face death with his soldier's swords in the execution yard. This yard was next to the clay quarry that the people harvested to make roof tiles from and local folklore said that clay and tiles were red because of the blood that had soaked into the ground over the years. The red tiles and the legendary brutality of the lord of Goland gave this city its nickname The City Drowning in Blood.

People were hardly out after dark but it seemed that some one was for once. A shadow slithered across one of the many red tiled roofs. But because the sun had gone down hours before the tiles had lost their luster and glinted almost evilly in the moving torchlight.

Yes torch light for many guards were out looking for the thief who dared to rob their lord. Not only rob him of one of his most prized positions but also have the gal to eat his dinner first. So now said thief was slinking along rooftops trying to evade capture. Running lightly across the roofs of the dojos, businesses and homes through out the city, stopping when the guards got to close, he slowly made his way to a certain house.

He lost himself in thought as he ran for he had trod this path many a time and this feet knew the way better than his mind did in the dark. So deep in thought was he that he didn't relies that he had reached his destination till he was about to jump to the ground. But since he had not been paying attention he slipped of the slanted tiles and fell with a thump to the ground. His landing was interesting to say the least and his shoulder was going to have a very interesting bruise.

Sliding open the wooden door he entered the single room house. Or it could be called a shed do to its size incredibly small size. With a sigh and a shrug he went to a corner of the bare room. Giving the floor space where the two wall meet in a corner a nudge with his foot he whispered a word under his breath and a hole appeared in the dirt in the middle of the small floor.

But before he could jump in to the hole there was yelling and the barking of dogs from out side. There was banging on his door a moment later and the improperly shut door opened a moment later. With a particularly crude curse, which sounded just like the word that was used to open the floor panel, he jumped into the hole. But not before a dagger, thrown by a guard, caught him in his lower leg.

With a hiss of pain he said another word as he fell through the hole in the floor above him banged shut. Now covered in pure darkness he pulled the pack he had carried with him off of his back. Digging through it for a few moments searching with his fingers he found pulled out an unlighted torch and a piece of flint. Striking the flint he lit the torch and he could finally be clearly seen.

Forest green eyes dilated slowly to accommodate the new light. His hair, which was matted, tangled, and covered in dirt, seemed to be almost a ruby red color. He was tall enough and thin enough to see all of his ribs even though he wore a shirt. Around his slim waist, treating to fall of even though it was as tight as it could get, was a belt that held sixteen throwing knives. With ivory handles imprinted with green leaves on amber colored vines, these knives were almost worth the same price as the human kingdom's eleven crown jewels.

Stuffing the end of the torch into the ground he inspected the damage to his calf. The dagger had hit in the middle of the back of his calf and had logged itself between the tibia bone and part of the muscle. He held the handle with one hand and put pressure on the flesh around the knife with his other and ripped it out. Only a hiss of pain showed that he even felt the tearing of flesh and muscle. Grabbing a roll of bandages from his pack he quickly rapped them around his bleeding leg over a gauze pad, making them as tight as possible to help stop the bleeding quickly.

With a groan he stood up and hobbled off lifting his pack on to his shoulder with one hand and the other hold the torch. The tunnel wasn't very long but it was very thin making him lean to the side to spare his leg as best as he could. Finally when his torch clattered to the ground when his leg gave out he pushed himself back up and sat against one of the walls in the tunnel. Giving a deep sigh he stretched out his legs and dropped of into an exhausted sleep.


	3. P, P3: Wanderer

Dragon Guardian

_Cosmos of the Sun_

**Prologue, Part 3:**

_**Wanderer**_

The road was normal, it was dusty, brown, and had tiny weeds growing around the edges. Surrounded by lush green fields, as far as the eye could see, it seemed that it went on forever.

On this road walked a person and with each steep they took the staff that they held lightly gave a tiny thump as it hit the ground. Now the staff was something to look at. Pure hickory wood made up the lower half and in the middle was mahogany handgrip for strength and after the handgrip the wood was a strange black color. The top was like a shepherded staff, curving down but when it reached the bottom of its curve it kept curving so that the sapphire jewel on the end was in the space in the middle of the curve.

As pretty as the staff was it was nothing compared to the person who held it. Lithe they were with long legs and hands with skin the color of ivory and eyes like the sapphire on their staff. With a mane of what seemed to be of pure gold that reached down to a slim waits they seemed to be an angel. Do to the clothes that the person was wearing it was not obvious if they were male or female. A green vest that laced up the front all the way from bottom to the neck and a white long sleeved undershirt with large baggy sleeves that tightened at the wrist and elbow. Plus they wore dark brown pants and brown travel stained boots. Their staff taped a rhythm as they walked, a steady thumping that never seemed to speed up or slow down.

As the sun slow rose to the middle of the sky a forest seemed to spring from the ground in the direction that the traveler was walking in. But behind the traveler a dust cloud that was obviously caused by many horses was slowly gaining and coming closer to the lone figure. Eventually the as time past the horses and their riders drew level with the lone traveler.

The fist one there slowed his horse till the beast was walking at the same pace as the traveler who had never stopped its rhythmic walking.

"Wel' ain't you pretty."

The 'complement' that was truly a sneer came from the mouth of the horse's rider. If anything could look like a bandit it was the men in this band. They wore ill-fitting stained clothes and badly concealed weapons. There teeth were mostly black or gone and they each bore a large amount of scars. Their horses were underfed so that you could count their ribs and they wore old mended saddles that looked like they were about to fall apart. Plus to top it off they smelled.

"Hey goldilocks! I was talking to you!"

Once more the words of the groups leader fell on deaf ears as the golden haired traveler continued to walk in the same steady pace as before not even shifting its eyes to the man on the black bony horse to the right. The leader lost his smile and gestured to the men riding behind him. They trotted their horses up and formed a wall made of flesh around the traveler.

The rhythmic pace the staff was making stopped and the owner gave a sigh. "What is it that you must speak to me of"' Now that the figure spoke it was easy to tell that it was a male.

"So now you decide to open your trap". The leader once more had his ugly smile on his face. But the smile disappeared when he heard the next words from the fair-haired being.

"The only reason I speak to you at all is so that I can tell you to get out of my way and to spare my ears from hearing the thing that you call a mouth spew any more waste." This brought a frown to the bandit's face.

"So you poor ears are too clean to hear words that come from my mouth. Well let's see how well you hear when your precious ears are filled with blood!"

With this he reached out a grabbed the hair that hid the man's ears from view and pulled it away. Then he dropped it like it was fire and stumbled back. For now that his ears could be seen it was clear that he was an elf. Elves are not to be messed with, it was said that they can tear the skin off you with just a glance according to the stories in the towns.

"He's an elf! Run!" With that the bandits took off in a cloud of dust and yells. The elf waited a moment for the dust to settle and then he burst out in to musical laughter. Still laughing he stared walking again. Slowly the sun continued on its way and the elf's elegantly carved staff still thumped its pace along the road. Then not even an hour after the bandits had left something strange happened. The staffs thumping changed. It had dirt and it sounded like there was something hollow under it.


	4. C1, P1: Unsettling Meetings

Dragon Guardian

_Cosmos of the Sun_

**Chapter , Part 1:**

_**Unsettling Meetings**_

'Thump….thump thump' He hit the ground with the end of his staff a few more times to be sure but the sound never changed. There was something hollow under the road. He stood still and thought for a moment and then stated, "Curse my curiosity."

With a sigh and a slight grumble he dropped to his knees and pulled a dagger out for one of his boots. Using his staff and striking the ground a few more times he found the edge of what he assumed was the end of a trap door. Setting his staff down next to him he took the dagger and scraped the ground outlining the edge of the door. It took a few moments but he was able to get one edge done with minimal snags and so he spent the time grumping about have to re-sharpen his blade at a latter date. After a few more minutes he had gone around the entire door and was debating if he wanted to open it or not. With another sigh he tapped the end of his staff on the door again and gave a small jump when he heard what seemed to be a groan form under it. The sound was so faint that he wasn't sure he had actually heard it or if he was trying to convince himself that he should open it. With a slight bit of hesitation he struck the door again and when another soft groan meet his ears, so soft that if he hadn't been elf that it would have been unnoticed, he made up his mind. Sticking his dagger into the space between the edge of the door and the dirt, he slowly prided the door open.

The gap created was large enough for a large human to get through and seemed to be pretty deep and with the sun almost setting he was unable to see into the hole. So he slowly lowered himself down, feet first, and dropped the last couple of feet. Lifting up his staff he cupped the jewel with one hand and whispered a word under his breath, and a soft blue light emerged. He blew on the gem and the glow brightened a bit and then he started to look around. He was at the end of a tunnel and the other end stretched out before him slightly lit by the light of his jewel.

He debated for a moment and then called out a tentative 'hello.' For a moment there was no answer then there was a very soft and pain filled hello back. So he started down the hallway with all his senses alert looking for who ever it was that he had heard. And then he was upon him.

A pale scared face framed by scarlet hair with pain filled half-lidded emerald eyes stared back at him. He was stretched out on the floor on his side with his back against the wall as if he had fallen over. With only a glance it was very obvious what was causing him pain. His right leg was stretched out and bandaged in what seemed to have been white linen. But the wound it covered had bleed so much that the entire bandage was stained red along with a good part of the floor around the leg.

The elf sat in front of the human and they stared at each other for a moment judging the other before the human spoke with a pain tinted chuckle, "I wonder what has brought an elf to be willing traveling these parts. After all along the Tri-border the fighting is the heaviest"

The elf's response, after a moment of surprise at having his race immediately known with no screaming involved, was given with a slight mocking tone, "And I wonder what has brought a human to be wandering underneath the Tri-border. And how they managed to injure themselves where no other trod."

'Touché, I would rather not tell but I'll give you the story in return for your aid in getting out of this damned Hell hole."

"If you give me the story, your name, and your company for a few miles I'll give you my aid in getting out of this 'Hell hole', and I'll give you some medicine to help with the infection that is setting in to the wound on your leg."

The human thought for a minute because it was unheard of for an elf to except human company after the war started, not that humans would except an elf's company either, and it was commonly said the when an elf has your name they have power over you. But he never had any respect for street corner gossips and he could feel the heat growing in his leg. And so with a sigh he nodded his head in expectance.

When he was given the nod the elf leaned his staff against the wall and leaned down next to the human and used one hand to push him on his back. The human gave a squawk of surprise, which the elf ignored, and he slid one arm underneath the human's legs and another behind his back and lifted him up. The elf ignored the indignant cries of the human claiming that he wasn't so much of an invalid that he need to be carried like a girl.

Grabbing his staff with the hand supporting the human's legs, being careful not to hit the injured one, he walked back to the end of the tunnel. Still ignoring the angry ranting of the human, who was trying not to move around to much because being dropped would hurt his leg even more, he said a strange word and the jewels light went out. The human he was carrying fell silent and didn't speak again until the elf leaped out of the hole and back onto the earth. Then he gave another demand to be put down which was still ignored as the elf kicked the trap door shut and started walking along the road toward the forest that had slowly been getting closer all day and now was only a few minutes walk away.

The human seeing that he was being ignored stopped talking and watched the trees getting closer still obviously upset about being carried. After another moment of silence the elf spoke to the human, "Was there anywhere close to the edge of the forest that you were planing on camping or do I need to find somewhere?"

The human gave an angry huff and then said in a slightly irritated tone, "Keep going down the path a little way in the forest and then when you see a tree with a cleaved trunk, which should on the left, walk around to the other side. From there you should be able to see a tree with a broken branch caught in its lower branches. That tree has supplies stored in its trunk and it has a small loft in its upper branches."

The elf gave a distracted nod of thanks, already looking for the first tree that the human had spoken of, and ignoring his companion once again. After another few quiet minutes of walking he found what he was looking for and then he found the tree that the human had said he kept supplies in.

The tree was large, but still growing, and the platform mentioned was only noticeable if you were looking for it. The elf paused underneath the tree seemingly debating something but before the human could tell the elf where to go to get up the elf gave a large jump on to one of the lower branches. A jump which no human and very few demons could make. And then he slowly jumped his way up the tree until he reached the platform and then he deposited the human on the ground who didn't move for a few moments, still a bit in shock because of how he go there.

The elf looked around for a moment and took in the platform that the human had directed him to. It was circular with the tree trunk in the center and on the boards around the trunk was a circular pattern of a large snake eating its own tail. This told the elf that the platform was of Elvin make, and since the snake had a pattern of interlocking circles on its scales that the platform had been made by the Coren Tribe.

The elf took in the platform in only a few seconds before he walked to the trunk and reached in the hole, which had been carved out of it, and pulled out a bulging bag. Ignoring the human's cries of 'That's mine!' he dug through it and pulled out the water skin that he was looking for along with a roll of bandages and then he sat himself next to the human and dropped his own pack next to him. "What is your name human?"

There was a pause for a moment where he could tell that the human was debating if he wanted to be obstinate or not before he got his answer. "Thatz. Thatz Frayne. Can I know your name? Or am I not suppost' to know?"

The elf looked up from where he was untying the bandages that Thatz had wrapped around his leg earlier and stated camly, "I never said that I would give you my name. I asked for yours and said that I would give you aid and some medicine, but never my name."

All was quiet until, "Can I have it anyway?"

There was no response and Thatz was opening his mouth to obviously ask again when he stopped and gave a slight groan and he slipped slightly to the side before he managed to straighten himself out again. The wound was slightly oozing and the elf quickly poured some water on it to clean out the worst of the gunk and then he dumped some powder on it for a pouch he had pulled for his own bag. Then he quickly bound the leg up again in the new bandages that he had removed earlier. Thatz shook himself a bit and then stared at the elf for a moment and then asked his next question.

"Well if I can't know your name can you at lest tell me why you wanted my company for a few miles?"

The response that he got was clear and to the point. "The only company that I had before I came across you for the last two months was that of bandits when they tried to rob me. It's nice to talk to a person who is not trying to kill you because they need something to do. And so your company would be appreciated at lest for a little bit. Unless I have judged you wrong?" The elf raised an eyebrow.

"No! You were right I really don't want to kill you. The only reason that I got this stupid leg wound is because I took back something that someone stole from me!"

The elf settled his back against the tree and looked at Thatz, "May I hear the story behind that?"

"If I can have your name. Please."

A sigh was his answer then, "I am called Rune Varana."

"Thanks. Wait! I thought that you weren't going to give me your name!"

"You never said that you would give me anything in return before."


End file.
